Ian Desmond is hitting .294 with six extra-base hits so far this season.

There are any number of impressive and surprising aspects to the Nationals' red-hot start to the season. A major league best 2.34 ERA and 144 strikeouts. A National League best 12 wins. Six one-run victories. Five consecutive series wins.

And then there's Ian Desmond, whose strong start might be among the most pleasant developments for the Nationals. Chided by many last season when he got off to a sluggish start, the young shortstop is enjoying the good vibes and positive press that comes with the best opening two weeks of his career.

"What a difference a year makes," he said. "Last year, this time of the year, it was a huge struggle. I had eight errors. I was hitting about .200. We weren't really winning. This year, it's a new year. It's a fresh start, which is nice. Obviously, this is best start I've had in the big leagues. I'm feeling good about it."

Desmond has every right to feel good about it, as do his Nationals teammates and coaches. Entrusted with the leadoff spot despite his atypical hitting approach for that job, he's hitting .294 with sixRead more »

This story may be analogous to what we will see with Espinosa over time. The athleticism is abundant, the range is stellar, the drive is palpable…..just lacking more "time". This game takes a while to figure out at the major league (or any) level. Good things to come…..

Desmond is 26, Espinosa is 24(?) I am guessing Lombardozzi is even younger and Zimm is just 27. Our pitching staff is maybe the youngest in the NL and we finally have people in the minors who look like they will be coming through in the next few years as well. Oh, this is how a major league team is run? Why were so many people screaming at Rizzo? I forget? Just think if we get the TV money from MASN we deserve, the attendance increases and we are able to actually spend a little money. It's exciting already but it only looks like it is going to get better. I know, I know, its early but you know what? We are in first place EARLY and that beats the heck out of where we have been the last 7 years EARLY so I am just going to crow and enjoy it.Go Nats!!!

At this point, Desi is the most deserving position player on the Nats for an All Star vote,imho.I've never been on the Desi-hater bandwagon, but I did say this was his make, or break, year. He's making it, so far.Go West, young men, and just keep winng each series!BTW-On the Phillies blogs they are really in a panic. Not one positve comment on nine pages yesterday.Tick-Tock indeed.We're going to two of the Phillies games, the Friday night game we'll be sitting in our regular seats in sec. 311. On Sunday night's ESPN game I bought four tickets in the RF Outfield Sec 140. We'll all be wearing Werth jerseys.It's our park, damnit, and if they don't like it they can blow it out their whatevers.GYFNG!!!

For those of us who always felt that Desi, would set it straight, we are feeling real good. I always said that he was the heart and soul of this team, and now he's putting some real numbers up.Now maybe the unnamed FO sources who whispered that Desi was only a utility player can find some other players to diss. Bet some of them never even played in the Bigs!Goooooooooo Desi!!! Gooooooooooo Nats!!!!!

A very enjoyable read Mark. For the few of us who have supported Desi, it is nice to see that he has started to put together what we saw the last 45 days of last season.Desi, Werth and LaRoche are contributing almost daily for this team.

Joe Seamhead, not too early to vote for Desi for All Star. Way too early to annoint Desi as the All Star because very doubtful he will be voted in which will mean Desi will have to perform at this level and slightly higher thru early July to be the All Star.

So — this massive amount of hours without the Nats playing baseball on the field – is this a good thing because the players will be rested and rejuvenated? Or will this kill the momentum and cause rust? What say ye?

Agreed re. credit for LaRoche's defense, and he's been silencing some critics with his bat as well.Ex-Nats news: Pudge will have his retirement presser in Arlington, TX, at 2 PM today (3 PM our time, I think). I believe he's also to throw out the first pitch for the Rangers. In a twist on the usual ceremonial offering, he'll be squatting at the dish and throwing to second base. (Okay, I made the last part up, but it would be awesome if he did. :-)). I expect that MLB Network will have coverage.

Interesting thing about Desi is, he's shown before that he could do the pieces of his job. Solid enough hitting in 2010 but competing for most errors — both fielding and throwing alike — in MLB. Then in 2011 he fielded OK after his 7 errors in the first three weeks, but his bat was putrid. This year — at least so far — he's shown he can not only put them together at the same time, but do it with occasional highlight reel flair, which the best players do and which he didn't reach even the last 6 weeks of last season.Now in retrospect it looks like Davey really did help him lay the foundation for Desi to show what he is capable of now. He's shown he CAN sustain it. Now the only question, will he sustain it (with the usual peaks and slumps), is the same one that applies to almost every good ball player. Reaching that point is a big achievement.

Steady Eddie, good points on Desi. Desi did run into that mini-slump where I think he was 1-14 and Davey gave him his "mental break" off. Hoping he gets back on another hot streak to get that BA back above .300

NatsLady, thanks for the link. The second thing that struck me about that was how poorly it was written–like a fairly literate high school student was doing a homework assignment at breakfast that was due that day. And 1a, yes, Pudge throwing the first pitch down to second would be perfect! Any way we can suggest it?

Good for Desi. It was hard to watch last year when it was clear he was trying so hard. I wonder how much Davey's attitude is affecting the whole team? He seems to exude confidence in his players and they seem to be rising to the occasion. Whatever it is, I am thoroughly enjoying the show.GYFNG!

The big difference in Desmond this year is he is hitting the ball more. Striking out doesn't give you a chance to get on base or drive in a run. Unfortunately our run production is still down because we still strike out a lot, as a team, and there is no one on base to drive in; or if there is, they are left there. Keep it up Desi. Try to have something rub off on Werth, no matter what it is. Pitching, of course, is great. GO NATIONALS!!

Gonat, can't comment on the O's (don't listen, can't watch due to stupid blackout) but the Tigers broadcast team is excellent, that's for sure. I can't listen to Vin Scully, just can't do it. I do try every once in a while.

NatsLady, I am really suprised our TV game commentators are ranked so high. They are terrible, especially Bob Carpenter. If we played in the sun Every day, he would talk about shadows every day. Every non-hit shudda bin, cudda bin, except for the wind, sun, moon, cut of the grass. Every out is "he had a hit taken away". Yes people, I am glad I have a volume control on my TV. It is so nice when listening to the Brave, Mets, Phillies, and Marlins broadcasters on MLB, when they are not playing the Nats.

Desi has vindicated his supporters, especially in the field, where he has been spectacular, at times, and he has become a clutch guy at the plate. Still, a .319 OBP is nothing to crow about, and is certainly not All-Star caliber for a lead-off guy.ALR has been the most valuable position player, when both offense and defense are taken into account. He leads the team in RBIs and is tied for the team lead in HRs, and his OBP of .382 is fully 63 points higher than Desi's. He is quiet, while Desi is an extrovert, but he has been the more effective performer. He has saved RZ and Desi from some errors, including the missed call at 1B against Cincy, which led to those 4 unearned runs they put up on Detwiler. That missed call probably cost the Nats that game, but you can't blame ALR. If the 1B ump makes the right call on that one, ALR's play at first saves the game for the Nats.

Rabbit, I think the ranking speaks more to how terrible some other teams' TV guys are, and some are REALLY bad. When I was traveling last summer I sampled some of the worst, stupid jokes and endless commentary on whatever they were eating in the booth, and I don't mean just a mention but 15-minute-long chunks of chewing–while the game was going on! On MLB Intentional Talk they have a segment called "Broadcasters Filling Air" or something like that, and really strange stuff gets said.

Rabbit said… "I am really suprised our TV game commentators are ranked so high. They are terrible, especially Bob Carpenter."I agree but you have to remember blabbering is the norm. FP and Bob were actually somewhat decent last year (a major step up from all previous Bob years), but this year it sounds as if FP has caught Carpenteritis – blab, blab, blab – over analysis about every little irrelevant thing.Mute is my friend.

I like FP and think that he and Bob work well together, but that's just me. I don't particularly care what the guy who penned that piece thinks about them, so no worries on that front. I also like that they don't ever disrespect the game or the other team, which isn't always the case with other broadcasters.sec3, not sure how one would go about making such a suggestion.

Another thing that drives me crazy–and the Yanks seem to be the most guilty on this–is extended interviews with players, former players, former managers, movie stars, former movie stars, politicians, former politicians, stadium architects, the "man in the street"…all while NOT SHOWING THE GAME. It was sort of forgivable during spring training, OK, but they still do it!

I really do like Carpenter and Santangelo. I know there are some outspoken critics here, but I appreciate the tone Carpenter sets and the on-point analysis FP offers. I'm not a big fan of sideline reporting, but Akra is a definate upgrade over Taylor.

NatsLady said…"Gonat, can't comment on the O's (don't listen, can't watch due to stupid blackout) but the Tigers broadcast team is excellent, that's for sure. I can't listen to Vin Scully, just can't do it. I do try every once in a while."Heh. That's interesting. I lived in LA for a couple years, and the only thing I liked about it (other than the weather) was that I could come home every evening and listen to Vin Scully call the Dodgers games. Except when the Nats were in town, when I was at Dodger Stadium!

Rabbit, I tend to agree about Carpenter. To much of a fan-like bias in his commentary.Laddie_Blah_Blah, yeah, the OBP is troubling. Desi could easily cool off just a little, be hitting a very respectable .275, and we'd have a lead off guy with a .295 OBP. 3.7 strikouts for each walk. Not healthy from a top of the order hitter.

Granted Desmond has impressed so far but it is only 16 games. Let's wait and see what he does over the entire season. I am much more concerned about Espinosa. I have yet to be convinced that he can hit major league pitching on a consistent basis.

This is very true I think, "Scully weaves a colorful web of statistics and personal anecdotes, all while not missing a beat with the play-by-play. He does this all without any assistance in the booth."

I happen to like Carpenter and Santangelo together. Different strokes for different folks I guess. I am warming up to Kristina Akras, so I think she will be ok. I also liked Debbie Taylor, but she needed to change her question style. I tried to think how she could rephrase her questions, but it was not easy for me to figure out a better solution. Really, the important thing the sideline people provide is a little glimpse into the player's personalities.

Fangraphs readers ranked the Nats TV crew no. 23 of 30 in MLB:http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/broadcaster-rankings-tv-30-21/Said one reader: “If they were a Nationals player they would be John Lannan.” Yikes. Damned by faint praise! Carp is Carp; but FP has improved TREMENDOUSLY this season. I find myself tuning into MASN just to listen to FP, actually. He's pretty much nailed the affable tone that I've come to expect from a Nats broadcast (probably because Charlie & Dave are so affable on the radio).

desi's defense has been a *lot* better so far. he had a *very* hot start at the plate, but has cooled over the past week. his overall numbers offensively are ok now, but not exactly sparkling. as mark mentioned, 319 OBP. that's not great. 761 OPS is good, but not all-star caliber. the main improvement offensively is (so far) the cut down on strikeouts, along with a little more extra base power. but the lack of walks still concerns me. it's a small sample, but if you give him credit for cutting down the Ks, you have to also downgrade him for taking even less walks per AB so far this year. and less pitches per AB as well (3.65 to 3.44). i don't think he has to be at a 380 OBP to be successful, but i *do* think he has to walk more and take more pitches (i.e., swing less at the first pitch every time) to be able to be consistent.

I'm definitely the type who loves human interest stories and getting insights into player personalities. Just don't make me watch an interview while I could be watching play on the field. Really, the important thing the sideline people provide is a little glimpse into the player's personalities.

I have never been a big Carpenter fan. I am always amazed that he can't seem to figure out that every ball hit to the outfield is not going to be a homerun. I do like FP but I have to admit that the mute button and I are now close friends. I have tried to snyc the radio and I have dvr with pause and 30 sec back & forward buttons but I just can't get it right. I will say that there are probably lots worse announcers and at least he has been a constant for the past few years and does know our team. I could not stand Debbie Taylor and her softball questions (probably a very nice person). This young lady seems to have a little more journalistic approach but the sideline reporting is really a waste in almost all sports unless they can get us an instant report on an injury.Will have some late nights now for the 10 days.Go Nats!!

I've already said I think the team can be successful, i.e., playoffs, with Desmond being just good enough. They don't need him to be an all-star, or even MLB average, leading off. Which is good, because I don't think he'll ever turn in a .330 OBP for the season. OTOH, they are already without Morse, Zim is hurt, Werth is who he always was, and LaRoche can't carry them for six months. They need most of the lineup to be there, and they need the bench to be there. The stars are on the mound, they need decent (merely) production from the hitters.Vin Scully is the Louis Armstrong of baseball announcers. You don't rate him. You rate everybody else, compared to him. He still brings better information on the visiting team's players than their own announcers do. I like Jon Miller and Krukow/Kuiper, and Carp and FP are OK. I do break with the group on Charlie and Dave–they're good, but too self-indulgent.

Desi's biggest improvement, to me, is defense. I no longer fear the easy grounder.Offensively, the good thing about Desi's start is, that as far as I can tell from looking at his underlying stats, there is no reason that he can't continue this. His BABIP is .320, reasonable for a guy with speed and a good contact rate. The key for him is swinging at good pitches, or more specifically, avoid swinging at bad ones. He is doing much better this year at that, leading to a lower K% and higher Slugging %. This should be sustainable, if he keeps swinging at good pitches. He will never walk much. It isn't in his DNA, plus he has a good contact rate so if he swings at good pitches, odds are that he will put the ball in play before Ball 4 arrives. Meaning his OBP and average will never be elite, unless he has a crazy year with BABIP. So Desi's offensive improvement has to come from slugging. That is really what is happening so far this year. .280/.320/.450, with good D, at SS is a productive major league player. That would have been Top 10 OPS last year. He just has to keep laying off those low and away pitches (and the occasional high hard one up at his eyes).

On Desmond, I am also happy for unkd, but I don't think for one minute he has reached all-star status. I don't need him to reach that. Just be above average in the field, hit .260+ and cut down on the strikeouts and we will be fine.Funny how Rabbit managed to get a shot in about Werth even though he had two hits his last game and is still above .300. I wonder what Werth will have to do to get people off his back? One other note. I see Nyjer is down around .133 now. It won't be long Milwaukee, gear up, its coming!! Explosion time!!

I still like Charlie and Dave, but you are right, Sec 3, they got giggly toward the end of last year and have continued this spring. Charlie always had that tendency, but Dave seems to be buying into it more than he used to. Carp is professional, and I like FP's analyses although sometimes repetitive (I do understand shifts and no-doubles defense). I think they are good for people who don't watch every game every day. I haven't solved the sync problem either, and if I use my iPhone, the audio is sometimes more than two batters behind the video, so that's mostly when I listen to Carp and FP.

Nats Lady said: After making 9 errors in their first 10 games (should probably have been more)..absolutely correct…it was absurd Zim only got one error in that Reds game..he was a mess..as for Zim and Desi being helped by laroche. no question, but let's give Morse credit for doing very good job last year at 1B..Dunn? he was pretty awful

"This is very true I think, "Scully weaves a colorful web of statistics and personal anecdotes, all while not missing a beat with the play-by-play. He does this all without any assistance in the booth."Which is why i love the the tivo pause and mlb at bay combo. Lose carp, add vin. Double bonus

Kristina Akra (new sideline reporter) is a definite upgrade from Debbi. Debbi's voice was nearly as irritating to me as her questioning style. Kristina's got a voice good enough for radio. I appreciate that in a broadcaster.Vin Scully is a different class of broadcaster altogether. The thing that impresses me most about him is his mastery of the pace of the baseball game. It's amazing.As for Ian Desmond? I only hope he keeps up at this pace. I'm not sure that he will, though.

Happy w/ Carpenter and Santangelo. Chemistry in the booth is very important. Nobody jumps on the other guy's lines. Nobody is repeating what the other guy just said. Every announcer in the game pales beside Scully and Jon Miller. (And I rank Scully w/ Miller only out of respect for longevity.) Hometown bias is fine; it's expected. If you want really obnoxious hometown bias, watch a White Sox broadcast. Santangelo, this season in particular, has been harping on his passion for "aggressive" play. I think its a reflection of his career as a scrubini, advocating an approach he wishes he'd had the skills to implement. Or maybe it's just because this year's team has the tools to do it. I think he should tone it down as that just isn't the way Johnson manages the game. Not a great fan of sideline reporters, either, unless they are genuine experts. Akra seems to have promise. Hopefully they allow her to aspire to be more than eye candy.This year, Sloes and Jagler seem to have really put it together. Originally, Jagler added nothing. He's really grown. And Sloes is now a baseball announcer, not a basketball guy doing baseball.The Orioles, bad as they are, are very hard to watch or listen to. On the TV side, the rotation of announcers destroys continuity and reduces the role of Jim Palmer, their most valuable commodity. On the radio side, Joe Angell is almost as good as Miller; too bad the team is so crummy (yes, I know they've been passable this year but no team that platoons Mark Reynolds and Wilson Betemit could ever play .500 ball over a full season).

Nyjer had an 0-fer on Sunday and is now at .119 with 0 RBI and 2 runs (one questionable) in 44 PA's (15 games).Werth, on the other hand (whom Nyjer slammed) is .322 with 7 RBI and 5 runs in 68 PA's(16 games).Nyjer has 1 stolen base and 1 caught stealing. Werth has 2 SB.Comment from the HighHeat site:Tony Plush is the last regular player with neither a walk nor an extra-base hit. At 5 for 42, his BA, OBP and SLG are all .119. Still looking for his first RBI, too; he’s 0-10 with men on base.Highheatstats.comhttp://www.highheatstats.com/2012/04/sunday-recap/Another site that I like to look at for fun stuff isyoucantpredictbaseballhttp://www.youcantpredictbaseball.com/

I don't see the O's broadcasters except for the annual "tag team" work during Nats/O's series (yuck), so I can't evaluate them. I always enjoyed Slowes and Jageler. I listened to most games on the radio before we got cable a few seasons back; now I watch them all on tv unless I'm away from the set.Speaking of FP and aggressiveness, I was rather taken aback by recent anecdotes where he yukked it up while talking about (a) weaving in and out of traffic and almost t-boning Flores while both were driving to a recent luncheon and (b) chatting on the phone while driving home after a recent game. I like you and all, FP, but if you injure one of "my" young catchers, you're gonna make my 25-man fecal roster. As the guy used to say on Hill Street Blues, let's be careful out there.

Yep… Happy to see Desi getting it together. I think my whole point with him, wasnt that my crystal ball saw him in multiple all star games, but that last year was too early to close the door on that much ability. Hope he keeps it up, and I hope Espi gets his groove on, from the left side. He's showing better patience, seeing more pitches, and the folks here, calling for him to give up on the pinch hitting…. Be patient… there's no rush, and Davey's not retard his growth, by expecting him to perform like a 5 year vet. Lombo is right there, and Espi knows it….that's all the pressure that's nessecary. Don't forget Rendon… MI is under control… Let's just sit back and let it wash itself out….GYFNG!!!!!!!

This story may be analogous to what we will see with Espinosa over time.Indeed. I was a Desi defender last year, on the simply grounds that you can't pronounce that a guy will "never" get it together, when he's only 25. I see unkyd said sorta the same thing:I think my whole point with him, wasnt that my crystal ball saw him in multiple all star games, but that last year was too early to close the door on that much ability.Absolutely. And that's why I also kept defending MPHRod and a number of other players. Folks, we have a really young team!As sjm308 wrote above:Desmond is 26, Espinosa is 24(?) I am guessing Lombardozzi is even younger and Zimm is just 27. Our pitching staff is maybe the youngest in the NL and we finally have people in the minors who look like they will be coming through in the next few years as well. Oh, this is how a major league team is run? Why were so many people screaming at Rizzo? I forget? Yep. As I wrote so many times last year:Ramos, 24 (Flores 27)Espi, 25Ian, 26RZ, 27Lombo, 23and even better is our pitching:Stras, 23JZ, 25Gio, 26Ross D, 26HRod, 25Clip, 27Storen, 24(and, of course, a coupla young 'uns down on the farm).We have a team of young horses who we can ride for years to come. The pitching talent combined with youthful age is astoundingly outstanding.

Can't say, Sec 3. It's great, I've read it daily for a long time. Just discovered the Highheat site, and thought as long as I was posting sites I would throw Can't-Predict in there. The guy is really funny, go back and look at previous stuff.

May 4th seems to be almost sold out. Online, Diamond Club seats are the only ones available. That just leaves the $5 seats, MLB's seats and seats still being held for potential season ticket sales.I see over 2900 tickets available on stubhub.

Wow — Natslady — what a site! (You earn 15 more free posts today ;-)How's this from today's entryAlso in last place? The Red Sox.-Who have a bullpen ERA of 8.44. The pen has allowed 40 earned runs. The starting staff, which has pitched roughly twice the innings, has allowed 52 earned runs.–In save situations, Boston pitchers have a 20.25 ERA and 3.00 WHIP.Tough to win that way, eh?

Maybe its me but I find this far more interesting than worrying about AOL generated cookies and Desmond bluster. Desmond has a .318 OBP … he doesn't walk. He is certainly better than Cristian Guzman both in the field and because of his power. But that typically indicates a big slump on the horizon as pitchers rapidly adjust to his first strike swing. Espinosa is taking the longer road but the right one. Pitcher Ryan Tatusko in XSTAnd you can't predict baseball? Please you can't precisely predict anything. Most statisticians are ecstatic with a p-value or level of significances of .05. "Perfect parabolas" do not exist in nature even if DC Wonk wants them to to make his daughter happy.

Just wanted you all who are following along to enjoy the Nats section from Grantland.• Since returning from TJ last September, Stephen Strasburg has struck out 49, walked 8, and allowed 2 extra-base over 49 innings.• Of the top 15 pitchers in Major League Baseball ranked by xFIP this year, four start for the Nats.• You can run this exercise with nearly every team (and we will, soon), but it warrants mentioning that the Nats have already lost two games that arguably turned on terrible umpiring: April 9 against the Mets on a blown call at second base, and the Laz Diaz Game of Death April 15 versus the Reds (hat-tip to @willbhenline).All of which is to say, the Nationals are pretty damn good, and they've got a chance to win this thing. (Warning: This offer may not be valid if Ryan Zimmerman's shoulder injury proves worse than they're letting on.)

I have to say, I like all our players, but am eager to see DeRosa, Nady, and Bernadina take it up a notch. It's going to be hard for DeRosa since he will not be playing much, but LF really needs to produce. Nady has the batting skills (or at least the resume) to be helpful and is probably suffering from a short spring training. With 6-8 more weeks of no Morse (or more), I am not sure Davey can afford to be as patient as he projects to the public. In fact, I'd be willing to bet its bothering him quite a bit.

Anon@11:24 (using one of my free posts here)–Did you go to the site or just judge by its name?—————————————————-And you can't predict baseball? Please you can't precisely predict anything. Most statisticians are ecstatic with a p-value or level of significances of .05.

If we draw 35,000+ for those 3 games and 75% are Nationals fans I think the comments about attendance will soon find the same path as those about Rizzo, Lannan over Detwiller, Morse to first base over LaRoche, Desmond to the minors etc etc. But never fear, an anon will rise up with something else to complain about. Its just the facts maam.

Nice article, Mark, for an off-day.Too many "pundits" put Desmond down — it got to be tiring.He's an unconventional lead-off — better than any of the deals Rizzo didn't make. Won't be a 2012 all-star, but steady progress is what we want. We've already heard that the Nats have a top rotation and bullpen. It won't be too long before our infield gets mentioned in the "top ten infield conversation". GYFNG

Did you go to the site or just judge by its name?I went to the site and honestly I found Ryan Tatusko's blog post far more interesting and enlightening … but, again, that's me.I guess he's in a bit of funk from being left behind and watching from Florida he hasn't been posting to his blog as much.As for stats. Right now the Nats are neck-and-neck as the top pitching team with the Texas Rangers. Both have a WAR of 4.1 but I look at the pRAA stat and its make up is interesting in that the Rangers lead with a 37.6 while the Nats have a 33.8. The splits appear to give the Rangers the edge because their relief pitching has been far better. But Nats starters currently are at the top of all of major league baseball with a 27.3 pRAA. That's a huge improvement if it can be maintained.But we won't know until 40 plus games are passed and the mean becomes more stable and less sensitive to daily changes.Batting is close to the bottom with a -6.6 bRAA and 1.2 WAR overall as the fielding factors in …

It depends on what time the game starts, I think. If you're thinking about the same-day Grandstand seats, here's a relevant snippet from the A to Z fan guide on the team site:Grandstand SeatingSituated in sections 401 and 402, and offering a great value at $5 per ticket, Grandstand seats go on sale at Nationals Park each game day 2 1/2 hours prior to first pitch. Grandstand seats are limited to one (1) ticket per customer and the customer must be present at time of purchase. Upon purchasing Grandstand seating, fans must immediately enter Nationals Park.

General game day box office info from the same source (note, I think that some box office windows are closed during team store renovations):Box OfficeThe Nationals Park Main Box Office is located at Center Field Gate. Guests can also purchase tickets on game days at four satellite ticket windows located at: Center Field Gate outside of the Majestic Team Store Adjacent to the Team Store located near Home Plate Gate Corner of First and N Streets First Base Gate (open only on game dates when longer lines are anticipated)Hours of Operation (March – September)Game Days: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 30 minutes after the end of the game. Sunday, 9 a.m. until 30 minutes after the end of the game. For all games with a start time of 2 p.m. or earlier, the box office opens at 9 a.m. and closes the later of either 30 minutes after the end of the game or 5 p.m.

thanks 1a. I am thinking of buying college ID tickets, half-off of any tickets that are priced at $10 or more. I am trying to get LF (section 103-105 seats) at $13 for college students. Last time I got there about two hours before the game started (jackson against Reds, Saturday and a bobblehead day) but was only able to secure RF (sec 141, row x seats; very bad seats btw). buying the same tickets online costs at least 60 bucks (for two) as compared to 26 bucks when I buy in person. That's why I want to know the earliest time they open so I can be there and get my favorite seats.

I'm curious – where are you getting the praa and braa #s? Perhaps Baseball Prospectus did … but I use Fangraphs. Fangraphs has and will continue to use them to calculate the WAR and continues to do so. This can be seen by selecting the VALUE panel. Fangraph's does use different names for them but they are the same statistics. I prefer the p and b because they indicate that one is for batting and the other pitching when used together. Fangraph's separates them into different "dashboards" so that in a sense never the twain shall meet.Its really why their WAR calculations are different and more accurate than those done by Baseball Reference. Tyler Clippard having the highest WAR last year? Over Morse and Zim who play every day? Clippard had a great year but …

Courtesy of Byron Kerr:Harrisburg is getting some great pitching and hitting from a guy who's approach to the game is much like Ian Desmond's.Double-A Harrisburg Senators starter Jeff Mandel has added a breaking ball to his repertoire. The breaking pitch has more depth and is "coming along," according to a team source. Mandel is 1-1 with a 0.96 ERA in three starts, striking out 10 and walking four.Teammate Danny Rosenbaum also starting off well at Double-A with a 2-0 record and 1.25 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. Rosenbaum has an amazing 16 strikeouts and no walks through three starts.Offensively, second baseman Jeff Kobernus is hitting .365 with five doubles, 11 stolen bases and five RBIs in 17 games.In spite of what Natsjack might say I expect Rosenbaum to be competing for the #5 starters slot next season after EJax is gone (and perhaps Wang). Detwiler, if he continues to pitch like he has, will move up to #4.I'm sure Johnson wouldn't mind having 3 left-handed starters in the rotation … Purke and Solis are now probably 2 years away given their injury problems …

No problem, anon@11:43, just a matter of taste…I've read his blog before and I'm glad he's posting.I agree on the small sample size, and even with a larger sample size, there is always 50-31 to remember. Noticed long ago the difference in WAR calculation between Fangraphs/BaseballReference so I usually say which one I'm using in posts. I may have extra tickets for the May 4 and May 5 games. I'm checking with friends but if it doesn't work out, I will let those on this blog have a shot before I go to Stubhub. (No extras for May 6).

""When he gets angry, he pitches even better," injured Nationals closer Drew Storen said. "Against the Mets [in Detwiler's second start], he got mad in a tough spot and got some big outs. He showed some moxie."" Cool, our very own Bruce Banner.

I'm sure Johnson wouldn't mind having 3 left-handed starters in the rotation … Purke and Solis are now probably 2 years away given their injury problems … And given Meyer's performance in Hagerstown, the jury is still out, but he is beginning to look like a future closer not a starter. Unless he learns to adjust to his height as he continues to grow … but its still very early and you never know.

SJM, I'm fascinated by your fascination with anons. A high percentage of your posts call anons out. you're like don quixote flailing at windmills. very enjoyable.Its fun isn't in anon? Of course SJM is really just another anon of a different color.

I'm late to the party but wanted to say I'm happy for Desi. I have been solidly among his critics based purely on his lack of performance. His D has been improved. However, I have to disagaree w/ Mark's headline. For me, two weeks can not erase three years of lousy performance. As for this year's offense. His OBP of .319 is still well below average for a starter. But his wOBA (which I think is a better measure) is .333 this year which is very nearly average for starters. If he can keep that up, and play solid D, I will retire from the Desmond critic club. But two weeks is a blip in a baseball season. Let's revisit in October, or at least August and see how he is holding up. And of course, I'm rooting for him, just far from sold.

I see over 2900 tickets available on stubhub. Lots seem to be inflated in price. So if there are lots of Phans in attendance, at least they paid top dollar.NatsLady and SJM, on syncing, as far as I know you can't sync the radio and MASN because the radio is ahead of the TV broadcast and can't be paused. But the MLB app on the iPhone seems to be at least 30-45 seconds behind the TV feed (the Gameday Audio on the computer may be as well), which means if you pause MASN on your DVR, you can sync them. It's not easy, but I find it's very possible to do if you use the crack of the bat as the sync moment. Just pause the DVR just as someone is swinging, then listen for the crack of the bat and press play. Voila!I still like listening to Charlie and Dave over Bob and FP. FP is particularly annoying because he tends to beat his points into the ground. He says something, then says it another way, then repeats it a third time. I also think he tends to come up with excuses or justifications for the players' shortcomings way too often. In particular, at the beginning of every game it seems the Nats can do no wrong. Every pitcher is fantastic, every batter is swinging the bat as good as they've ever seen. They also say way too much "we've talked about this before." Even when true, it's tedious. Things could be worse though. We could still have Dibble.All the being said, I wouldn't give the "rankings" in the Bleacher Report much credence.

But two weeks is a blip in a baseball season. Let's revisit in October, or at least August and see how he is holding up. And of course, I'm rooting for him, just far from sold.Exactly right. I'd even be happy with waiting until the end of May. It's just way too early to proclaim that Desi has erased the doubts. Certainly his OBP is still a reason for concern. I'll be very happy to say I was wrong to doubt him if come June 15 he's still playing this well. Will the Desi-boosters be willing to say they were wrong if at that point he has regressed to his mean?

Section 3, My PFB Sofa said… He's not anonymous at all. We know who he is. We've sat with him at games. Unless he was wearing one of those Mission Impossible rubber masks… Just because pseudonymous people hang out together doesn't make them any less anonymous. The pseudonymous posters here like to think that their false, fictitious, even cutesy names are like the noms de plume or aliases used by some of the great figures of history. But they flatter themselves, for there is one critical difference. The great noms de plumes and aliases of history all have had a real person associated with them. Everyone knew that Mark Twain was really Samuel Clemens, that AE was really George Russell, that Kareem Abdul Jabbar is really Lew Alcindor, that Muhammad Ali is really Cassius Clay. No one but no one knows who the hell this NatsLady, Sofa dude, Periculum et al are. (Nor do we care, to be frank about it.) The pseudonymous here are every bit as anonymous as the rest of us.

PericThanks – I see where you're getting them now.I don't think it matters much now that BP has discontinued its version of the stats, but I do think they calculated them somewhat differently–or pRAA, at least. For example, if you look at Lannan's fangraphs page, I don't think it shows anything that resembles the negative pRAA #s that you used to cite for him. (I don't raise this to have an argument about Lannan – no need for that anymore. Just making a pt about the difference in the stats.)

Doc said… Love the great article by Kurkijan on our Nats' pitchers!Indeed! Love this quote (from Kurkjian's article) — which is really the bottom line on why the Nats are so good:"There is so much to like about the Nationals' pitching. Every night, they will send out a starting pitcher, under the age of 29, who throws in the 90s. Every night, they can bring several power arms out of the bullpen as well. Every night, with the game's best pitching, they have a chance to win."

The pseudonymous here are every bit as anonymous as the rest of us. No they are not. If someone used a real name (say, Nathaniel Wright) would that help you know the person any better?The point is when NatsLady, or sjm308, or, whoever posts, we have a sense of who s/he is from his/her prior posts, because she's been posting for years (_and_ because some folks have met her). When "Anonymous" posts, it could be any number of people.

Well, if someone really wanted to know who I am, such as for a ticket exchange or a meetup, revealing my identity would not be a problem. And it wouldn't be that hard to find me on google anyway. It's just simpler and safer to use the screen name. I have a long, unspellable and unpronounceable last name. But you are welcome to call me "Rose" or "Miss Rose" (for those under 18) if that makes you feel better than "NatsLady."

Everyone knew … that Kareem Abdul Jabbar is really Lew Alcindor, that Muhammad Ali is really Cassius Clay.Pretty impressive that you could manage to insult two of the greatest athletes in history to make a dubious point. None of us are important enough for people to know or care what our real names are. The point is that we use our pseudonyms consistently (unlike the clever, but one shot "Sue Dominus") and have recognizable personalities and positions. And we can be held accountable, at least in here, for what we say or the predictions we make. For example, I've been a Desi skeptic. I can't run away from that and all of a sudden claim that I was a Desi promoter all along when he starts to hit. Some anons are recognizable because of their boldness or rapiers but complete anonymity makes it tough to have a civil and respectful conversation. But I guess that's intentional.

"The pseudonymous posters here like to think that their false, fictitious, even cutesy names are like the noms de plume or aliases used by some of the great figures of history."This is inane. And wrong. With a dash of arrogance.

I don't think it shows anything that resembles the negative pRAA #s that you used to cite for him. (I don't raise this to have an argument about Lannan – no need for that anymore. Just making a pt about the difference in the stats.)I used Statscorner (who Fangraphs uses) for that. Statscorner gets down to the nitty gritty of unbiased, park and defense neutral stats. Foregoes all the other attempts while Fangraphs displays them all.I see your point but if you look the tERA listed (defense / park neutral) is the same. I suspect the RAR has been converted to be a "right-tailed" only statistical distribution as opposed to a "two tailed" statistical distribution. I would have to look.I prefer the Statscorner approach which allows the distribution curve to span both the positive and negative horizontal axis.

What a great post! I have to figure out how to post the video of my dog going through the list of Nats players and going bonkers for Ian Desmond. I'm a luddite when it comes to that. But I'm going to work on it!

So, I guess I should be consistent then eh HHover?Looking at Statscorner we see that Nats pitching has:rotation: 96.0 xIP. 2.12 tRA, 20.0 pRAA.relief: 54.7 xIP, 3.02 tRA, 5.8 pRAAThis will surprise some people but when Park and defense are neutralEdwin Jackson leads the staff:19.9 xIP, 1.06 tRA, 6.5 pRAAGio and Stras follow with a 4.8 and 4.7 pRAA.In the bullpen Henry Rodriguez leads with a 3.68 pRAATexas Rangers:rotation: 99.5 xIP, 3.25 tRA, 14.9 pRAArelief : 35.5 xIP, 2.33 tRA, 8.2 pRAABest starter is Matt Harrison with 21.7 xIP, 2.40 tRA, and 5.3 pRAAAs expected Yu Darvish is the worst and the reason why Texas fallsbehind the Nats … So, at Statcorner the Nats slightly lead with a 25.8 pRAA as opposed to a 23.1 pRAA for Texas.

Oh Jane! I am so jealous about the Pups in the Park. My two pooches went last year in September, but it took way to much out of them (they were sick/stressed out for 3 days after). I would love to bring them and have them go through the line, they are lovable and would lick the guys to death.

The point is when NatsLady, or sjm308, or, whoever posts, we have a sense of who s/he is from his/her prior posts, because she's been posting for years (_and_ because some folks have met her). When "Anonymous" posts, it could be any number of people.Oh I don't know its pretty easy to counterfeit on the Internet … I'm still scratching my head about the Central Limit Theorem. ANOVA? What's that?

A D C Wonk said said… HEY, someone stole my handle!! Or was it my parabola? And they got it wrong? But, then no parabola is perfect.Yes, someone can always steal somebody else's handle. But then if one were posting with a real name, somebody could steal that, too, no?In the meantime, using my handle is really bush-league. You must be so proud of yourself.

So, at Statcorner the Nats slightly lead with a 25.8 pRAA as opposed to a 23.1 pRAA for Texas.Scratch that HHover … you have to take into account the dearth of xIP for relievers as opposed to starters … Math error on my part.The figures do end up being pretty close to those you see on Fangraphs.

I was afraid that sooner or later people will resort to stealing identities. Even though we can easily tell whether the person is the same or not, I think it is time for me to switch to my google account.For future reference, I prefer Faraz (instead of FS).

Well, I'll throw my hat in the ring,too. My first name is Joseph, but I go by "Joe".On the subject of Desi, I feel like he has been bringing a bit more to the table than what gets measured in BA and OBP. Unlike a few others, I truly believe that team chemistry is an unmeasurable intangable that makes and breaks teams. Desmond has seemingly taken on a big dose of the good ju-ju that Jayson Werth brings to this team, i.e. an aggression and a Natitude, if you will. The Phillies seem to be seriously lacking in attitude this year, and their club seems on the verge of an implosion. Like all of us, I have been frustrated numerous times by Werth's shortcomings, but I do believe that he brought a case of the ass to this team that was sorely needed, and Ian Desmond oozes the Werth influence, while our friends up north of here are missing it.

Unlike a few others, I truly believe that team chemistry is an unmeasurable intangable that makes and breaks teams. Desmond has seemingly taken on a big dose of the good ju-ju that Jayson Werth brings to this teamI agree with that … I'll go further and say I BELIEVE that if this part of Dessie had risen sooner there would be no need for a Jayson Werth signing! I'm not sure Werth is all he's cracked up to be … BUT, Desmond still has to learn plate discipline. He is going to slump with this approach and the fans will be all over him.One of the most aggressive hitters in the game was Ted Williams. Look at his stats at age 40? This is the kind of hitter Desmond should be attempting to make himself into … not a younger more athletic Cristian Guzman.

sjm308 said……but the sideline reporting is really a waste in almost all sports unless they can get us an instant report on an injury.…or get the hero of the game in front of a camera long enough to be distracted for a Gatorade bath…

Guys I project to be on the 25 man roster from 2013-2017:1. Stephen Strasburg2. Jordan Zimmermann3. Gio Gonzalez4. Ross Detwiler5. Ryan Zimmerman6. Jayson Werth7. Bryce Harper8. Drew Storen9. Henry Rodriguez10. Ian Desmond11. Danny Espinosa12. Craig Stammen13. Michael Morse14. Steve Lombardozzi15. Tyler Clippard16. Wilson Ramos17. Jesus Flores18. Ryan Mattheus19. Sean Burnett20. Anthony RendonThose 20 seem pretty sure bets (albeit certainly not guaranteed in some cases) so my question to Nats Nations is do we make another Gio Gonzalez-like trade to get a stud hitter from a rebuilding team? If the 20 guys listed above are indeed on this team for the next 5 years it seems to me that the 5 spots missing are:1B or LF-Assuming Morse at one of the two positionsSPRPOFOFThat leaves very few spots for prospects like Matt Purke, Alex Meyer, Sammy Solis, Danny Rosenbaum, Jeff Kobernus, Robbie Ray, Tyler Moore, Corey Brown, Michael Taylor, Destin Hood, Brian Goodwin, Chris Marrero…not to mention, Wang, Lannan or FA signings. So, should the Nats look for that 1 big bat to play 1B or OF via trade. It just seems to me that with so many young guys on the Major League roster, the value of a loaded minor league system is diminished a little bit. I know injuries happen, etc., but even if we traded 3 of those prospects along with a Lannan or a Wang (obviously not if we need them at the end of the year) we would still have backup options at most positions. Sorry for the long post, but just love playing GM. I am certainly not pushing for a trade right now, just interested to hear ideas from others.

"For me, two weeks can not erase three years of lousy performance."That's only true if you ignore the 2nd half of 2011.The last 5 games in which he's played (the Houston and Miami series), might be the best short-term evidence that he's turned the corner. A 3 for 20 stretch for Desi in early 2011 undoubtedly would have included at least 9 or 10 strikeouts. Not this time – only 3 strikouts in those 20 AB. Desi's approach at the plate has been much different since mid 2011. A few more BBs would be nice, but he's swinging the bat well even when he's not getting base hits.

Poopy__McPoop said… "Hey we could use a Sofa on the Orioles sites?"You should come see me. You have a very unhealthy attraction to bodily functions…the motorized movements of the lower extremities that propels you to Orioles games.And that poop thing you've got going needs some work, too.

Erik:Intersting post, obvious effort there. Thanks.I'll disagree on Flores, free agent after the 2013 season. It just seems too likely he'll go somewhere to be someone #1 catcher.Morse is also a free agent after 2013. Nothing here would surprise me, including an AL team making an offer we won't match. I'd call him only 50 – 50 to be here in 2014.And then a bunch seem like not sure bets beyond 2015:Clipard, Zimmermann and Desmond FA after 2015.Espinosa, Storen, Henry, Lombardozzi, Stammen, Ramos all free agents after 2016.And in general, why have Espinosa, Desmond, Lombardozzi, Zimmerman and Rendon all on the same 25 man roster? One or two are gonna have to go.Projecting out 3 years is tough enough. Going out 5 years is darn near impossible.

Well, you've all left me with no choice. Beginning immediately, anonymous comments are no longer available on this site. Unfortunately, that also means the "Name/URL" function no longer works, either. In order to comment from now own, you must have a registered gmail, LiveJournal, WordPress, TypePad, AIM or OpenID account.My sincere apologies to the vast majority of you who have never caused a problem. Sadly, the few troublemakers have outweighed the majority.If anyone has a problem with this, feel free to thank Peric and anyone else who has abused the anonymous function over here for months.

I think everyone here should be anonymous. Makes things less confusing[begin_monty_python]Voice Over: Number eight. The kneecap.Pull back to reveal the knee belongs to First Bruce, an Australian in full Australian outback gear. We briefly hear a record of 'Waltzing Mathilda'. He is sitting in a very hot, slightly dusty room with low wicker chairs, a table in the middle, big centre fan, and old fridge.Second Bruce: Goodday, Bruce!First Bruce: Oh, Hello Bruce!Third Bruce: How are yer Bruce?First Bruce: Bit crook, Bruce.Second Bruce: Where's Bruce?First Bruce: He's not here, Bruce.Third Bruce: Blimey, s'hot in here, Bruce.First Bruce: S'hot enough to boil a monkey's bum!Second Bruce: That's a strange expression, Bruce.First Bruce: Well Bruce, I heard the Prime Minister use it. S'hot enough to boil a monkey's bum in 'ere, your Majesty,' he said and she smiled quietly to herself.Third Bruce: She's a good Sheila, Bruce and not at all stuck up.Second Bruce: Ah, here comes the Bossfella now! – how are you, Bruce?Enter fourth Bruce with English person, MichaelFourth Bruce: Goodday, Bruce, Hello Bruce, how are you, Bruce? Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce a chap from pommie land… who'll be joining us this year here in the Philosophy Department of the University of Woolamaloo.All: Goodday.Fourth Bruce: Michael Baldwin – this is Bruce. Michael Baldwin – this is Bruce. Michael Baldwin – this is Bruce.First Bruce: Is your name not Bruce, then?Michael: No, it's Michael.Second Bruce: That's going to cause a little confusion.Third Bruce: Mind if we call you 'Bruce' to keep it clear?[end_monty_python]http://www.ibras.dk/montypython/episode22.htm

Hmmmm. So now Blogger allowing me to use a different screen name than my Google account has taken my last post into a meta zone. Kind of fitting to be preceded by a Monty Python quote…Mark — I promise to write my next post about baseball.

Dunno what will happen with Peric now that anon posting is banned, but I did think his comment above, re the advanced metrics, worth replying to:Interesting that Statcorner (using praa) ranks the Nats' 1-2-3 best pitchers as EJax, Gio, and SS , while fangraphs (using RAR) has it SS, Gio, EJax. Also interesting that statcorner has JZim as the worst of the lot, barely above average and well below Det, while fangraphs has JZim as essentially tied with EJax and well above Det.It's too early to put too much basis in these #s, and perhaps they'll converge with more data to plug in over the season. But without knowing much about the underlying methodologies, I've gotta say that fangraphs' look much more sensible at the moment.– The commenter who previously posted as HHover

Mark, agree with Steady Eddie. Your house, your rules.This is by far the friendliest blog on baseball that I have seen. Thanks for doing what you can to keep it that way.May need to have a post on this change so that other regulars will know the new rules.

Dunno what will happen with Peric now that anon posting is banned, but I did think his comment above, re the advanced metrics, worth replying to:I do he'll just block me. Last time I posted with an "identity" Mark called me out for posting too much.One thing is certain. Life is not fair. And certainly Mark blaming me for every anonymous poster certainly is.I disagree with far too many of Mark's **opinions** when it comes to the Nats … he fails to look at the team objectively as a good reporter should. But nobody is perfect.You may not have much respect for me Mark, doubtless its mutual … ~smiles~

Well, folks, it's Mark's sandbox so you play by his rules or you don't play at all. Personally, I think it will improve an already great sight. Thanks, Mark. GYFNG!Mark, or anybody else, do you know where we can get an update on Goodwin and Rendon?

Sorry to see the Name/URL go. My browser at work doesn't much like Google blogger. But this one worked, so I'll survive. I'll also miss some of the creative pseudonyms that provide comic relief occasionally. It's important not to take ourselves too seriously. I come here at least in part to be entertained.But it's Mark's party and I'm willing to play by his rules.

Sunderland-Agree on Flores. I think it will be hard to keep him. The Morse situation will work itself out, but he seems to be happy here, so I think if he produces he will stay. I also think J Zimm and Clippard are happy here and not going anywhere. My main point about the depth concerned the MI and pitching. We have some potentially good players in the system that just won't have a spot. I would rather take a gamble and trade a couple of them for a known quantity at a position of need. I would guess that Matt Purke is who they are hoping is that 5th starter, but who knows. Defintely lots of possibilities.Erik

Sorry to see the Name/URL go….I'll also miss some of the creative pseudonyms that provide comic relief occasionally.Me, too. However, there were a number of posts above that someone forged my name. And so, mostly I'm sorry that some cowardly anony's ruined this aspect of the site for the rest of us.I'm not sure MarkZ had a choice on this if he wanted to keep the comment section decent.

I for one am extremely happy – I expect that the number of posts will drop, and the quality of the remaining ones will rise, making reading this blog much more enjoyable (and less time scrolling through drivel). This post is an exception to the above forecast, of course.Well done Mark!

Wow -I go to the gym and a firestorm breaks out. I changed to a google account sometime ago when someone posted using sjm308 – not that anyone cares but those are my initials & also my season ticket section.Peric, I really liked looking at those advanced stats. Thanks for those.Hope this site continues to be smart funny and less mean spirited.Looking for a 6th start series win and will start taking naps tomorrow.Go Nats!!

Erik – thanks for taking the time to list that projection. As much as I would like to see us carry two strong catchers I think it's going to end after this year, so Flores will probably be traded. I don't want that to happen, just my guess.I also think Rizzo will add Upton next year so that is my addition to your roster.

As for creative pseudonyms, Sofa seems to do just fine with his. I, of course have no idea how he does that. I had to have my son set up my google account and am lucky to get the computer turned on in the morning.

Erik: Happy to debate this a bit.Morse may be happy here, but as old as he is, 2014 is his one shot at free agency in his prime. He will (and should) go for the money. And as we have seen over and over and over again, guys like Morse are always offered better deals from AL teams. AL teams have less risk, since they have the DH, and so they will offer that guaranteed extra year or two that NL teams decide is just too risky. It's too likley that an AL team will make him an offer that Rizzo just won't match.And knowing this, if Morse has a strong 2nd half, a Morse trade this offseason would not surprise me.

I think I agree that Morse will likely head to the AL when he gets the chance. Hopefully some of the young guns in AAA/AA are ready to come up by then. Flores likely gone (hopefully via trade) when the catcher at Syracuse is ready. doubt that Burnett will be here for the long haul. One of Desmond/Espinosa/Lombardozzi likely traded as well.Can someone refresh my memory on when Rule 5 kicks in?

Nevermind, found it:Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft who are not on their major league organization's 40-man roster and:– were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; or– were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years.

I understand that everyone here absolutely loves Ramos (I do too), but if Flores keeps outperforming Wilson, there is no reason to trade Jesus instead of Ramos.About keeping Morse around, I have said it before that as much as we like to see everyone stick around, that will most likely not happen. It is hard to develop talent (or trade for it) and harder to retain it all. As previously mentioned, Morse might become a better fit for AL teams than NL.

Faraz has it exactly right–I can change it, and it's still the same account, which means Mark knows who's posting. And he's always had a pretty good idea who the anonymous/URL posters were, if he had the time and inclination to check where they were coming from. Which is way too boring for him to bother with, I would hope.Anyhow, FWIW, it's overdue, IMHO.

Faraz said something like "I understand that everyone here absolutely loves Ramos (I do too), but if Flores keeps outperforming Wilson, there is no reason to trade Jesus instead of Ramos."There is a reason. Ramos is both cost controlled, and not guaranteed, for the next 4 seasons, through 2016. Flores is cost controlled and non guaranteed for only one more season. Deciding to count on Flores long term means writing him a guaranteed contract for either 3 or 4 years. Ramos gives you more flexibility, less risk.Of course, this may also be why Ramos might fetch more in a trade. But there are definite advantages to keeping Ramos (assuming similar performance).

Smurff, Strasburg was scheduled to pitch, and there was a HUGE crowd assembled, and at the very last second he was scratched and Miguel Batista started and pitched the game–very well.But no one cared because, as he said, "They came to see Miss Universe and they got Miss Iowa." The actual Miss Iowa came to hear of it, and he apologized, sent flowers and brought her East to meet her.(I was at that game, it was very strange. It was a beautiful evening and people are just wandering aimlessly around the concourse trying to figure out where is Strasburg while Batista is pitching great.)

As I recall Batista won the game 3-1, in a performance that Strasburg would have been proud to claim. Batista explained that he was not offended with the booing when his name was announced because the crowd was expecting Miss Universe but got Miss Iowa, "but still a very pretty girl". The real Miss Iowa, on being informed of the whole affair, announced that she thought it was a hoot, and she did a great job of throwing out the first pitch a week or so later.

Does anyone else think the Nats are better off with Detwiler?The Nats KNOW they are. If he keeps up performing consistently.However, Strasburg does get shutdown sometime in August. Wang is almost tailor-made to step in and pitch for that abbreviated time into October given the number of years since he last pitched and the nature of his injury. I'm not sure how they will get those two things to match on both sides of the equal sign however …

All right, let's see if this new-fangled account thingy works. On a baseball note (ex-Nats related), watched the Pudge presser on MLB Network earlier. He has a beautiful family and had a quite a career. That is all.

jcj5y-I think the Nats are better off with Detwiler. Hopefully the Nats will realize it too. Even at his best, Wang was no better than Detwiler has been this year, and there's NO reason to assume that Wang will be at his best now that he's 32 and his best years were 5 years ago.Hopefully they'll either go to a 6 man rotation or let Wang replace Gorzelanny as the long man out of the pen. However I fear that they'll move Detwiler to the pen instead, which would be a shame. Wang is a 1.30 WHIP pitcher at best; people should be smart enough to realize that the 2012 Nats are not the 2007 Yankees. They can't start a guy who puts the ball in play a lot and keeps it in the yard but can't strike guys out and just assume they'll outslug the opponent.

And I, too, will go with Detwiler for now, but it's a false choice, since unlike last season, they do not have to bring Wang up just yet. They have a month or so. Who knows what might happen in the next month?

Sunderland, sound arguments. Makes sense but in terms of performance, Jesus can't be ignored. He was once considered future of this franchise for good reason.Anyways you know a team seriously needs offense when Nate Schierholtz (very good OF arm btw) is batting fifth in your lineup. Never understood why SF let Beltran walk.

Skidge.. it worked.Also for those of you posting from phone and having trouble. I tried it from the Web Version on my phone and it worked.Onto baseball matters:Erik excellent post on the roster. I have to agree with Sunderland on Morse. As much as I would hate for him to leave, he should test free agency. He only has one big payday left.On Det vs CMW. Wow, now that is a good debate. If Det keeps it up, then he should be our #4 next year. I think CMW is not equipped to be a long man out of the bullpen. Det can go into the BP until Stras is shut down.For all the hand wringing by the national media about Stras's innings limit, i am not that worried. We have some depth in the pitching area and I would be happy with Det or CMW in the September/October (hopefully late October)

Traveler8 said…The real Miss Iowa, on being informed of the whole affair, announced that she thought it was a hoot, and she did a great job of throwing out the first pitch a week or so later.And Batista gave her a dozen roses before the game.Also during that game, in the Presidents' Race, Teddy came charging out of the gate, opened a huge lead over the rest of the Rushmores. At the right field foul pole, he was a hundred feet or so ahead of the rest of the pack. I was scremaing, "He can't possibly lose!" knowing full well he couldn't possibly win.He made the turn at the foul pole, came charging down the foul line, still 'way ahead of the pack, when he suddenly stopped dead, apparently to have a conversation with someone in the stands.It was Miss Iowa. And she gave poor smitten Teddy one of the Batista roses, while the rest of the presidents roared on past.It was sweet.

Just a quick post to commend NatsLady on her visit to the Phillies website late yesterday. I read her comments and must say she represented Nats Insiders extremely well with total professional decorum. Even the Phillie commenters were respectful and responded processionally.

Holy cow – over 235 posts on an off day!?! Natsjack, I can't decide if by her respectful comments on the Philthies site, Natslady did us proud or let us down! As for the anon ban, it's sad in a way, but you have to realize that it's a sign of the success of this blog that there is a critical mass of loyal following of posters who will supply their names. So, congratulations Mark!

Ha, NJ, thanks. It was a challenge to be polite when they said (a) the Nats had killed Harry Kalas and (b) the Nats needed a manager who had been to the playoffs….Michele, I was on the MLB site, Phillies "wrap" of the game.

Has anyone else noticed that Ramos doesn't seem to set up a target for the pitcher with his glove? I don't watch on TV much but the few times I have, it seems like he keeps his glove turned around until the last minute. Surely there's a good reason for it.

Anybody see the first episiode of "The Franchise" on Showtime? Very entertaining, but boy am I glad we have Davey instead of Ozzie as our manager. What a bizarre character. Pretty cool to have this behind the scenes look at the Ozzie loves Fidel fiasco. Warning: there's lots of, shall we say, "colorful" language on the show.

Couple of off days always good for the team. We kind of went all to seed in here, but it should help the pitching. And heck, it's two days we didn't feel obligated to spend four hours in the bar. It's all good.

For those suffering withdrawal symptons on Day 2 without baseball, MASN is showing the Nats O's game from May 23rd 2010 where Josh Willingham hit the walk-off homer in the 10th. Storen's now pitching the 7th after getting a hit in his first major league at bat.

Tomorrow the Nats get a lefty followed by at least 3 righthanders. Nady is only hitting .125 against RH this year and .250 for his career against .290 vs. LH. If I'm reading it correctly, Bernadina has not had a single at bat against a LH this year and has not hit particularly well against anybody. Not sure if they will go strict platoon, but I would not expect Bernadina to play against LH.

Navy Nats Fan — did you hear the O's announcer say that Morse is a line drive hitter who will never hit for power? It is hilarious to hear some of the things that are being said – and not that much time has really passed.

I've been laughing both at the comments and how different some of the Nats look. I do miss Cristian Guzman. A little. He really wouldn't fit in our the team now. We had some out of shape players – Guzman, Dunn, Capps, Coffey (not then, but later). Can't think offhand of any on today's team that are in really good shape.Turn it on now – bottom of the ninth – only one more inning until the Hammer!

And John Lannan got a no-decision on a blown save by Capps.Hah – I forgot that was the walk-off where the Os 3B Tejada kicked dirt on Willingham when he went by rounding third. Classy….Fun to see that one again.

Watched the Nats…O's classic tonight also. Sure reminded me how much I hate the mixed announcer crews. Also I can't believe I actually liked Dibble back then. He sure seems pompous now. And how about Drew Storen before he let his hair grow.

More good news. Mets lost two to the Giants, Phillies losing big to Arizona 8-1 in the 7th, the Brave losing to the Dodgers 3-1 early. The losses count just as much now as the ones in September, too! GYFNG!

Thanks PericYou're welcome Gonat and you should delete the post publishing your email address albeit technically when you use a registered handle the email address should be visible within the profile … as many here mentioned.Still, sec 3 is right why guy trouble?

Thanks, Mark. I hereby return to the fold. (Not that I ever had anything that brilliant to say, but it's nice to talk Nats baseball with imaginary friends.)I'm sure the possibility for personal abuse will still be here (as it was at the NJ), but at least it won't be anonymous.Switching my avatar, by the way. No more hairless glasses face.I am loving the bizarro world in which we currently live, where the Nats are 5.5 games ahead of the Phillies. I hope it'll last.

This post has taken on a life of it's own. We are all chomping at the bit for some live baseball. It was highly amusing to watch last night's Nats Classic, though. And very annoying at times. Go Nats! I hope we take the other coast by storm!

peric, there was only one Nationals affiliates game (P-Nats) yesterday and it was over before I got home from work… (and not on video anyway, I think).That's interesting about the glasses (Corey Brown link). I assume you can't wear them in game?